For many Japanese,data is something foreign and inaccessible.

By creating a platform for experiencing the joys of big data,

we hoped to endear our data solutions services to the public.

We used our big data to find topics that created buzz in Japan

and analyzed regional variations in the Level of interest they generated.

We then visualized our findings by literally putting them on the map.

"Maps have historically reflected the perspectives and interests of the times. Discrepancies between ancient maps and actual geographical sizes and distances tell us what the people of those times thought were worth putting on the map--literally and figuratively. Yahoo Japan's On the Map Japan website offers a twist on this concept: a map of Japan where the size of each prefecture reflects the level of interest that a topic generates there.

Users can select one of 85 topics to see the level of interest--displayed as a numerical score--it generated in Japan's prefectures between January 2017 and September 2020. The size of each prefecture expands or shrinks depending on the level of interest, and users can see these fluctuations in real time by scrolling the timeline bar. Users can also select a specific prefecture to see how its level of interest ranks among all other prefectures. "

We statistically analyzed Yahoo Japan search data to see how characteristically a certain topic was searched in a certain prefecture, and calculated a search score based on that analysis. We then combined this score with variations in comparative search volumes of other topics, as well as the total search score for all topics, to define a new unit of measurement that we called "level of interest."

We statistically analyzed Yahoo Japan search data to see how characteristically a certain topic was searched in a certain prefecture, and calculated a search score based on that analysis. We then combined this score with variations in comparative search volumes of other topics, as well as the total search score for all topics, to define a new unit of measurement that we called "level of interest."

This site was spotlighted by widespread media coverage.

The number of unique users for Yahoo Japan’s data solutions site

climbed 313% compared to before On the Map was launched.

Usage by the elusive 20-30s and female demos also increased.

This site was spotlighted by widespread media coverage.

The number of unique users for Yahoo Japan’s data solutions site

climbed 313% compared to before On the Map was launched.

Usage by the elusive 20-30s and female demos also increased.